The first member of the “big three” to begin their assault on 2016, Puma has peeled back the camouflage on one of the last remaining “power” boots still on the market to finally give us the newest evoPOWER: the 1.3.
Where the camo colorway kept us from knowing what the new evoPOWER had under the hood, Puma has left no doubt with an eye-searing yellow and teal paint job on the first official version of the beloved silo. We also see a new soleplate, updated upper, and a totally new look for one of our favorite boots on the market.
For anyone new to the evoPOWER, Puma’s ultimate goal with this boot is to create a power option while still mimicking barefoot kicking. One of the few boots to ever actually flex backwards, the newest version of the evoPOWER is supposed to have even more flex within the boot, which should translate to even more power!
The first thing that we noticed when we were looking at the 1.3 is the updated soleplate. A mish-mash of conical and bladed studs that we’ve certainly never seen before, Puma lays claims that it will improve “maneuverability” and “stability,” and we can’t wait to test the boot out and see if that rings true. We do think that putting conical studs in key areas will help keep your footing no matter the weather, but it’s always interesting to see a brand make a simple change that nobody else has attempted before…is there a reason nobody has attempted it? Or is Puma just better at reinventing the wheel?
The upper has been revamped with more AccuFoam and a design to give you a cleaner striking area in order to let you have more precision whenever you are addressing the ball. The upper still showcases the “one-way stretchable Adap-Lite” in order to create a comfortable fit while still allowing the foot/boot to bend in a natural way.
Expect to see the evoPOWER stable of stars to be rocking the newest version of the boot in upcoming fixtures, with Cesc Fabregas, Mario Balotelli, Olivier Giroud, and Yaya Toure headlining the silo. One of the stars, Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas, was quoted as saying “Since the evoPOWER was first launched in 2014, PUMA has managed to improve this great boot even more each year. What I especially like about this version is the stability it gives in matches and training, which helps improve my performance. The new colour is great, it will catch a lot of attention on pitch.”
A constant winner with everyone here at The Instep, we can’t wait to get our hands on the newest version and get our review done and dusted. If history is any indicator, we wouldn’t be surprised if this boot is still around when we are talking about our end of year awards (the Boot-ies). Are you ready for Puma’s “next generation” of power? Can this version recapture the magic of the original, or will it get lost in the inevitable shuffle of new boots that we can expect in 2016?
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